Lopez singles in winning run as Mariners to Padres

Jun 10, 2007 - 6:43 AM
SAN DIEGO (Ticker) -- Jose Lopez drove in two runs, including
the go-ahead tally in the ninth inning, as the Seattle Mariners
rallied from four runs down to post a 6-5 victory over the San
Diego Padres on Saturday.

Lopez hit a pitch from reliever Doug Brocail (2-1) up the middle
to plate pinch runner Willie Bloomquist as the Mariners
improved to 13-5 since May 22.

Bloomquist ran for Ben Broussard, who singled to lead off the
inning. Ichiro Suzuki sacrificed Bloomquist to second and Lopez
came through with the clutch hit.

"I was not trying to do too much, just get a line drive
base-hit," Lopez said. "I had (good) concentration. I saw the
shortstop try to knock it down, but it went right through the
middle. I got lucky that it didn't hit the base."

Sean Green (1-1) pitched two scoreless innings and J. J. Putz
threw a scoreless ninth for his 17th save in as many chances.

"It's a good win," Green said. "We just keep pulling them off.
That's a good crew out there and it's a different guy out there
each night, so it's pretty special."

One night after the San Diego Padres erased a four-run deficit
to force extra innings in a game their lost 6-5, Seattle did the
same, with Richie Sexson's eighth-inning solo shot off Scott
Linebrink tying the game at 5-5.

The Mariners scored four times off the Padres' bullpen, spoiling
a solid effort from David Wells, who allowed three runs and six
hits innings and left after yielding consecutive hits to Kenji
Johjima and Adrian Beltre in the seventh.

Heath Bell then allowed RBI singles to Ichiro and Lopez to cut
the Padres' deficit to 5-4.

"That's the way the game is," Bell said. "Our luck has just
been kind of bad the last two nights. It's been punch-and-judy
hits, a little thing here and there. That's just the way it
goes. We'll bounce back."

Prior to this poor showing the San Diego bullpen had been nearly
flawless, allowing just six of 46 inherited runners to score.

"I think we're so used to (the bullpen's) perfection that a game
like this sort of shocks you," Black said. "But, that's part
of the game. These guys have been so good for so long, but
they're human."

Seattle jumped out to an early lead after Ichiro led off the
game with a single and scored on a double to left by Raul
Ibanez.

In the bottom half of the frame, Mike Cameron doubled to open
the scoring for San Diego and Russell Branyan hit a sacrifice
fly to push the Padres' lead to 2-1.

San Diego tacked on three more in the fifth against Jason Davis,
who entered the game when Seattle starter Jeff Weaver left due
to stiffness in his lower back. Davis walked leadoff hitter
Khalil Greene and gave up run-scoring singles to Jose Cruz, Jr.
and Adrian Gonzalez.

Weaver made his first start since May 10 after being on the
disabled list with tendinitis in his throwing shoulder. He left
in the fourth inning after allowing two runs and two hits and
throwing just 58 pitches.

Yuniesky Betancourt extended his hitting streak to a
major-league best 20 games with a single in the fifth.